A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Molyneux, William Hargraves
MOLYNEUX. (Commander, 1841. f-p., 15; h-p., 21.)
William Hargraves Molyneux entered the Navy, 23 Nov. 1811, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Daphne 20, Capts. Philip Pipon and Jas. Green, fitting for the Baltic, where he served at the siege of Danzig, and came into boat-contact with the enemy’s privateers off the island of Rugen. Rejoining Capt. Pipon, in Sept. 1813, on board the Tagus 38, he assisted, on 6 of the ensuing Jan., while cruizing among the Cape de Verde Islands, in company with the Niger 38, at the capture of the French 40-gnn frigate Cérès; and he subsequently, on visiting the Pacific, fell in with Pitcairn’s Island – the first time it had been touched at since settled on by the mutineers of the Bounty. In the early part of 1816 we find him sailing in the Magicienne 36, Capt. John Brett Purvis, for the East Indies, with the flag of Sir Rich. King, whom he there followed, in Oct. 1817, into the Minden 74. He was promoted, on his return home, to the rank of Lieutenant, by commission dated 31 Oct. 1820; and was subsequently appointed – 7 Nov. 1822, to the Jupiter 60, Capt. Geo. Augustus Westphal, under whom he escorted Lord Amherst, Governor-General of India, to Bengal – 4 June, 1824 (six months after the latter ship had been paid off), to the Niemen 28 Capts. Provo Wm. Parry Wallis, Wm. Pitt Canning, and Chas. Simeon, in which vessel he was for three years employed on the Halifax station – 19 Jan. 1836 as First, to the Melville [errata 1] 74, fitting for the flag of Sir Peter Halkett, Commander-in-Chief in North America and the West Indies, whence he returned to England and was paid off in Aug. 1837 – and, 1 Nov. 1841, in a similar capacity, to the Alfred 50, equipping at Sheerness for the broad pendant of Commodore John Brett Purvis. He was advanced to his present rank on 23 of the month last mentioned; and has since been on half-pay.
Commander Molyneux married, 8 June, 1837, Martha Maria, only daughter of the late Admiral Sir Andw. Mitchell, K.B., by whom he has issue two sons and a daughter.